On the contrary, the study’s researchers also found being in a good mood may interfere with organisational and time-keeping skills.

However, according to the research published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, such behaviour only rings true for extroverts – while introverts ground to a halt when they feel gloomy.

To carry out the study, researchers from the University of Waterloo explored how 85 people cope with demands and stresses daily, depending on their mood.

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Mounting scientific evidence seems to suggest that hugs are good for your health. They lower blood pressure which is a risk factor for heart disease. Oxytocin, the chemical released by the brain while hugging, is being investigated as a treatment for various conditions, including depression.

They broke down the group of participants into two categories based on emotional reactivity – high-reactive (extroverts) and low-reactive people (introverts).

The results found extroverts performed better on executive function tasks when they were in a bad mood. Furthermore, being in a positive mood didn’t seem to have any impact on the cognitive performance of either high-reactive or low-reactive individuals.

“Our results show that there are some people for whom a bad mood may actually hone the kind of thinking skills that are important for everyday life,” said the study’s psychologist, Professor Tara McAuley.

But McAuley warned the findings shouldn’t be a reason to hold onto those Monday blues all week long.

“People shouldn’t interpret the results as saying it’s fine to fly off the handle or overreact, or to be grouchy.

“We know that emotional reactivity differs from person to person starting at a very early age and that these individual differences have implications for mental health later in development.”

Given the small number of people involved in the study, further research is needed to explain the relationship, but previous studies suggest that high-reactive people are more habituated to experiencing negative emotions.